Now, MNS dares Mumbai civic chief on potholes issue

Mumbai | Intensifying their campaign for potholes-free roads in Mumbai, MNS corporators asked Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation commissioner Ajoy Mehta to ensure that all potholes are filled before Diwali or else face their wrath.

The ultimatum was given by party corporator Sandeep Deshpande during the meeting of Standing Committee of BMC.

“Our party has given a clear cut ultimatum to civic body chief Ajoy Mehta that if potholes are not filled before Diwali, then our workers would make him stand before potholes and get a placard in his hands to accept and announce that he is responsible for potholes across city,” Deshpande told PTI.

On October 5, Deshpande and another corporator, also from MNS, Santosh Dhuri had forced chief engineer of Roads Department to hold a placard in his hand stating “I am responsible for these potholes. Please take note of it.”

“We know that whether we make a chief engineer responsible for roads or the BMC Commissioner, punishment is same for making both the officers responsible. So why not BMC Commissioner should be declared responsible for the sorry state of roads,” he asked.

Deshpande claimed all parties in BMC had supported his stand of holding the chief engineer responsible for pockmarked roads. “The parties expressed their displeasure on why only two corporators were sent to jail for raising a valid issue of potholes,” he said.

Meanwhile, Congress, the principal Opposition party in Sena-BJP ruled BMC, has decided to bring a no-confidence motion against Mehta over the issue of potholes-ridden roads in Mumbai.

An uproar was witnessed during the Standing Committee meeting, with corporators spanning all parties holding the civic administration responsible for rising numbers of potholes.